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  #1  
Old 11-19-2017, 11:31 PM
SDP4902 SDP4902 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 1
Unhappy Athlete w/ herniated L5/S1

Hello,

I am new here (obviously) and looking for support and guidance. I pride myself on being an incredible researcher. Friends and family ask me to research everything and anything and I LOVE researching. I think my love of researching now is causing me great anxiety because I'm completely overwhelmed. Doctor's opinions and medical studies go every which way, how is one supposed to know what to do?

You can see my story in my signature. I've decided I will NOT get a fusion and I want my athletic life back. Although my recent foraminotomy has helped with my left leg weakness, I know it's just a bandaid surgery. During the summer, after the first herniation, I was religious with my PT and was walking 5 miles a day. I was feeling amazing and 1 week after PT I was back in the hospital. The depression is setting in. I'm still on restrictions from the foraminotomy (no lifting, bending, twisting or PT until Dec 6) and it's driving me nuts. My husband seems to think this time it's going to magically heal all by itself but I've done enough research to know that no amount of PT is going to fix this,

I won't have a fusion but I can't figure out which disc and doctor is the right choice. There's so much conflicting info.

Dr. Ritter-Lang recommends the M6 disc which, if I'm understanding correctly, is not an elastomer disc and according to Dr. Bertagnoli's website, he does not advise using an elastomer disc at the L5/S1 level with spondylolisthesis (my MRI shows spondylotic spurring).

I've requested consults from Dr. Bertagnoli and Dr. Clavel as well - haven't gotten them back yet.

I'm just so overwhelmed with the options available.

Here's a picture of my MRI if anyone is interested:


I do have a little silver lining in that I'm married to a French citizen and we're willing to uproot and move to France where, after 3 months, I could get the procedure for almost no cost. Honestly though, that comes with family strings I'm not too excited about. I just want the right doctor and the right disc and i don't care where I have to go for it at this point.
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__________________
June 2017 - Broad based herniation to the left, L5/S1
3 Months of PT
5 Epidural injections
Re-herniation September, 2017 (1 week after PT ended!)
Left foot drop with re-herniation
Foraminotomy 10/23

Athlete prior to the above - full contact roller derby, ice skating, snow boarding, wake boarding, long distance cycling.

Need a way back to my life.
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  #2  
Old 11-20-2017, 12:07 AM
GKTM300 GKTM300 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 273
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Make sure you really do your research
__________________
12/22/04 blew L4-5 and L5-S1 out lifting wrong
4/1/05 back to work thanks to Oxy
11/11/13 hurt back lifting again
6/6/15 last of many MRI L4-5 medium paracentral bulge with juice leaking and mid to left bulge on L5-S1
No invasive procedures except steroid shots that did nothing n hurt wicked bad
9/24/2016 Adr surgery Bertagnoli>1 year doing great
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  #3  
Old 11-22-2017, 03:47 PM
Blizzaga Blizzaga is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 130
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Hi SDP,

I am sorry to hear of what you are going through. I compared my MRI to your. Very similar degeneration on the L5-S1 level. The good news is that your other discs look very healthy to me. It is then obviously clear what your pain generator is and what level to operate at. Are your symptoms similar to what I had in the sense that sitting aggravates the pain and lying down flat should somewhat reduce it? Also, lifting heavy weights and bending forward should also aggravate the pain. If so, I would not hesitate with the decision on ADR. (PS. do bone density scan before deciding. Metal allergy test also, if you are paranoid.)

Sadly, Zeegers who I used has passed away. So the most knowledgable person in the world is out of your list . However, the neurosurgeon that performed the operation in Germany is still available and he did an amazing job in my case.
__________________
2015 Lost ability to sit
2016 Gradually worsening despite conservative treatment
2016 L4-L5, L5-S1 activ L success!
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